Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Just before Christmas, we found a great home for our foster dog, Pablo. He was the little black and white chihuahua we had for a few months. At the time that we got him adopted, we thought Delilah was pregnant. Thank goodness, it was a false pregnancy. Her body responded to her first heat by making it go through physical changes like she was pregnant, but actaully, she wasn't. Sorry Andrea, if you were hoping for a puppy, but we do plan on breeding her andFranklin when she gets a little older.

Anyway, we were waiting for Delilah to have her littler before we took in another foster dog, so when we found out for sure that she wasn't pregnant, I was jumping at the chance to foster another one.

Last night, I went to pick up our new foster baby. Her name is Riley. The lady we got her from said she was a schnauzer mix of some kind, but I don't see that in her at all. She is only 8 months old, so she has a lot of puppy in her. Franklin and Riley have been tearing through the house non-stop since I brought her home. I think it may have been love at first sight. She's a little bigger than the dogs we're used to having, but she's so gentle that it doesn't matter. The only thing we have to worry about is her big bushy tail brushing everything off of the coffee table.

Hopefully, she'll be going to her new "forever home" soon and I will have another happy tale to tell.

I tried to narrow the list down to names I thought most of you would recognize....what started all this was when I was watched my Bob Dylan DVD that I got for Christmas and found out that "Bob Dylan" was not his given name, I got curious. I found out by watching that documentary that Bob Dylan's name was really Robert Zimmerman.

So, I decided to look up some other people that had changed their names...and I was surprised by some of them...and maybe even a little disappointed.....I really wanted Stevie Wonder's last name to really be Wonder....but apparently not. So here's my kind of shortened version of what I found....................

One of my favorite sites to check out every day is the weird news on Q95.com. Today I found a crazy story about an exhibit of humans at a zoo in Australia. It sounds like a rip off of some kind of reality show. In fact, I think it said the humans go home at night, so I guess they're getting paid to sit in a cage all day and eat bananas and act stupid for other people's entertainment. One person in the cage even mentioned being happy he's getting time off work. It sounds rather insulting to me.

Someone called it a six-legged, two tailed cow. This doesn't look like any of the cows around here!!!! Even if it only had four legs and one tail...I don't know what this little girl is.

Check out video of the female calf, named Paloma, born with an extra pair of legs and an extra tail at this website, or just click on the title of this blog.

http://www.q95.com/pages/news-weird.html?feed=104673&article=1591357

VILLA VIEJA, COLOMBIA (Reuters) - The birth of a deformed calf has the residents of a small town in Colombia talking.

The female calf, named Paloma, was born with an extra pair of legs and an extra tail. The body parts are from a second fetus that did not develop completely. Locals have speculated on the cause of the deformities.

Paloma, or pigeon, was born with two extra legs, and an extra tail.The body parts are from a second fetus.

Deformed calf owner Salvador Vanegas says, "This is sort of a nature thing. It's due to lack of calcium, so the animal does not completely form."

But others in Villa Vieja have attributed the deformation to causes like an act of God or the stars.

Paloma's owner has put the female calf up for sale, while local authorities plan to examine the animal.

What would you do with a 6-legged cow?Sell it to the highest bidder!Donate it to scienceKeep it as a petEat it!

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

OK, we got Jen in on it.......now what do we have to do to snag Liz??? She's the only female cousin that doesn't blog with us. I don't want to hear any excuses about being too busy...we all know it only takes a couple minutes to get through eachother's blogs, unless one of us gets on a roll like I have today!!!but seriously, I feel like I know at least a little bit about what's going on with the family this way, but I never know what Liz is doing. Does she even know we have blogs?? Surely she does....everybody does except Chad...hehehe....but that may be temporary if Andrea has anything to do with it :-)I also think it would be cool if we could talk Aunt Jill into it....at least she pops in to comment once in awhile. That at least lets us know she's out there reading all the junk we write. Maybe Liz should start there....at least let us know if you're reading this stuff!!!I'm sure there are plenty of exciting things in Liz's life to blog about. First of all, I wanna know more about this man of hers. I don't know about you guys, but (whispering now) I think she might be in love. I don't know for sure....but maybe I would be sure if she had a blog to keep in touch with us. And I know she has a computer, becuase I gave her one!!!!

So, Liz, let's hear it.....i either want a new blog to visit, or a really good explanation!!!!

The article mentions a friend of Shawn's (the boy missing for 4 yrs) talking about getting stopped by the cops for being out past curfew recently. First of all, did Shawn tell his friend his real name?? Did his friend have any idea he had been kidnapped, and was away from his real family. The boy was only 11 years old when he came up missing, so I find it hard to believe he was a runaway. Also, on another occasion, Sshawn was asked for his name and he said "Shawn Devlin," which is the last name of the creep who had kidnapped him.

Don't you think it's strange that the kid has had freedom to get out and ride his bike, has been giving a false name...that name belonging to his kidnapper, and never made any attempt when he was out all these nights after curfew but didn't seek help from police or make any phone calls.

He was quoted as saying he felt like he had bruises from being hugged so much from his family since his return. That statement makes total sense....but why, if he is happy to be back home now, why wouldn't he have tried to escape when he had the chance....I'm so confused......what do you guys think??

There's also an unsolved kidnapping near the same area from 1991....I wonder if they'll find that this is related somehow....this world is full of scary, crazy people!!!!

It always makes me feel good to get involved in activities that will help someone. Ryan and I have done the "Homeward Bound" walk for the homeless in Indy a couple years in a row, and plan on doing that again this year. In February, there is a walk right here in Kokomo for a similar cause that I'm forming a team for.

It's called "Walk a Mile in My Shoes." It's a fundraiser for the women's shelter here in Kokomo that was opened by the Kokomo Rescue Mission a few years ago.

This particular fundraiser means a lot to me because I have had a friend who lived there with her little boy for a few months while she got on her feet. They are a Christian based organization, and really encourage their young mothers to bring their children up in a Christian setting. The girls who live there are required to attend church, they each have different "chores" in the house every day, they have a very strict curfew, and they are required to complete tutoring for their GED if they don't have a high school diploma.

Open Arms was the best thing that could've ever happened for my friend. It provided a safe place for her and her newborn son when she was released from her drug rehab. She had been addicted to crack, had been in trouble with numerous misdimeanors on her record, and lost custody of her first son because of her lifestyle. Thanks to Open arms, she has her son back, she got clean of drugs, she has a home of her own and a full time job after getting her GED while she was there. Now, she is one of the people who feels compelled to help out the community that helped her. She will be walking with Ryan and I on February 10th. She volunteers at the Kokomo Rescue Mission twice a week when her mom can watch her son. She also helped me volunteer for the United Way this year wrapping presents for the people in the mental health system here in Kokomo.

I don't want this to sound like I'm asking for donations...I'm just writing about a cause I believe in. BUT....if anyone is interested in walking with us, or donating anything, you can call the number listed on the small article below, or you can call or e-mail me when you have time.

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

Approximately 9:00 a.m. - ? Fundraiser for Open Arms, Kokomo Rescue Missions women's shelter. Individuals form teams and raise money before the event. The day of the walk, walkers meet at Kokomo Rescue Mission (corner of Mulberry and Washington) and walk a half mile to Open Arms to tour the shelter and enjoy free coffee, hot chocolate and treats before walking back to Kokomo Rescue Mission. Call 456-3838 or visit www.kokomorescuemission.org for more information.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Bob Dylan was not only a very inspirational topical musician, but he was also, and maybe more-so a poet. His lyrics were very appropriate for what was going on in this country during the 60's. Although he was very reluctnant to discuss the meaning behind his writing, I think when given the chance to really sit down and read the lyrics without the music, you begin to see a deeper, more sensitive side of him and his writing. To think that he was only in his early 20's when a good majority of his most prolific songs were written is beyond my comprehension. I was no where nearly as in touch with the world at that age. Something I find very interesting that you never read about in your history books, is the fact that Bob Dylan performed at the March in Washington when Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream" speech. He was 21 years old when he was there supporting that cause.I've always loved his music, but until reading it as poetry, I never really thought about what he meant. Especially during the times that he was writing these lyrics. That was a hard time in this country. They had "bomb drills" in classrooms like we had tornado drills as children. Can you imagine growing up like that? What if we get to that point again? I don't want the children that are raised by our generation to have to endure those things. Sometimes, I feel like this world is really scary, and we have yet to see the worst of it. I feel like a hard rain's gonna fall on us too sometimes. Something big. Something bad.A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Oh, where have you been, my blue-eyed son?Oh, where have you been, my darling young one?I've stumbled on the side of twelve misty mountains,I've walked and I've crawled on six crooked highways,I've stepped in the middle of seven sad forests,I've been out in front of a dozen dead oceans,I've been ten thousand miles in the mouth of a graveyard,And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, and it's a hard,And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Oh, what did you see, my blue-eyed son?Oh, what did you see, my darling young one?I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it,I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it,I saw a black branch with blood that kept drippin',I saw a room full of men with their hammers a-bleedin',I saw a white ladder all covered with water,I saw ten thousand talkers whose tongues were all broken,I saw guns and sharp swords in the hands of young children,And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

And what did you hear, my blue-eyed son?And what did you hear, my darling young one?I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin',Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world,Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin',Heard ten thousand whisperin' and nobody listenin',Heard one person starve, I heard many people laughin',Heard the song of a poet who died in the gutter,Heard the sound of a clown who cried in the alley,And it's a hard, and it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Oh, who did you meet, my blue-eyed son?Who did you meet, my darling young one?I met a young child beside a dead pony,I met a white man who walked a black dog,I met a young woman whose body was burning,I met a young girl, she gave me a rainbow,I met one man who was wounded in love,I met another man who was wounded with hatred,And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Oh, what'll you do now, my blue-eyed son?Oh, what'll you do now, my darling young one?I'm a-goin' back out 'fore the rain starts a-fallin',I'll walk to the depths of the deepest black forest,Where the people are many and their hands are all empty,Where the pellets of poison are flooding their waters,Where the home in the valley meets the damp dirty prison,Where the executioner's face is always well hidden,Where hunger is ugly, where souls are forgotten,Where black is the color, where none is the number,And I'll tell it and think it and speak it and breathe it,And reflect it from the mountain so all souls can see it,Then I'll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin',But I'll know my song well before I start singin',And it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard, it's a hard,It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

I have been buying them at Marsh. For some reason when I ripped the wrapper off that delicious chocolatey treat, it hit me that someone in the family had been looking for them. Did you ever find them??

Well....they're back!!! I found a website about their return. I think it was written in 2004. I knew I wasn't crazy!!! Check it out!!!

Monday, January 08, 2007

I haven't had any blogs about a CD I'm in love with for awhile. Leave it to Willie to inspire me to write about my love of music. His latest release, called "Songbird" has a vrey different feel than his last couple albums. COMPLETELY different than the reggae album he put out a couple years ago. He has a couple new songs on this, but what has really grabbed my attention is the covers he's done.

There is a beautiful version of Grateful Dead's "Stella Blue." His soft voice is a great compliment to the song that Jerry sang so sweetly so many years ago. The title track is origianlly a Fleetwood Mac song. I had no idea that he had redone that song....even with it being the title track. I never made the connection until I heard it. Even then, he has made it his own, just like everything he does, and it took me a minute to realize it was the same song.

The CD has a rather dark feeling to it. I think I feel that way mainly because of the version of Amazing Grace that he does. He sings it in a minor key...my ear isn't sharp enough to know exactly what key it's in, but it is spellbinding. It is also the closing song which seems very appropriate. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but after hearing it again, I am in love. That song always gives me chills anyway, and now with Willie's new twist on it, it seems to touch my soul more deeply than ever.

Willie also did a couple new versions of some of his older songs. He has a very elegant version of “Sad Songs and Waltzes” that captures your heart as you listen.

Ryan Adams produced the album, and I think his work shows through Willie in some of the songs chosen for this project. I read in an album review that the songs "Stella Blue" and "Songbird" were both suggested by Ryan. I have a couple of his albums that I really enjoy, but I've enjoyed the albums he has produced for other artists even more. He an Willie made a stellar team with this. I hope to hear more from Willie like this somewhere down the line.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not one to hurry.......ever.Well, my bad habits came back to bite me right in the butt a couple weeks ago.

I have to have a license to operate x-ray equipment from the State Dept. of Health. It expires once a year, and I have to pay a fee to get it renewed. Mine was due on November 20th. I mailed it right before we left for our trip to Atlanta on Nov. 15th, thinking that 5 days was plenty of time to get to Indy. Well, I thought wrong...............

A few days before Christmas, one of the ladies from human resources hunted me down with a letter in her hand from the Dept of Health stating that my check was received on Nov. 21st (one day late) and I could not work again until they received the late fee. So, I clocked out, ran home, wrote a check, and paid $15.00 to have it overnighted to Indy. That was a Wednesday. On Thursday, I called to confirm that they had gotten my check only to find out that they were closed until the Wednesday after Christmas.........oh crap.........

So, after a week of not working, on Wednesday Dec. 27th, I called again only to receive a voice mail. I tried three more times that day and never talked to a real human being. The next morning, I woke up, and first thing, I called them again. This time I get a voice mail saying they are out again until Jan. 3rd.......oh crap AGAIN!!!! That's another week away!!!

I decided to call the bank to see if the check had cleared. It had. So, I called my boss and had him check into it for me. Apparently, even though the check had been cashed, it hadn't been "processed" yet, so I still couldn't work.

So, finally, after two weeks off, and after using every second of Paid time off I had, I'm back!!!!

It was nice to have some time off around the holidays, but I felt really bad, because other people had to cover my shifts and my CT call while I was off. Plus, the middle of December isn't exactly when I was planning on using up all my vacation time.

Regardless, everything is taken care of now, and I'm legally operating x-ray equipment again. It never felt so good to walk into work as it did this past Thursday on my first day back. Slowly but surely, my vacation time will build back up, and I will be able to take a real vacation by summer, but man, that sucked!!!! I don't know how else to word it....it sucked!!!

Attics of my Life

About Me

I am a 33 year old female going on 16. I still get carded for cigarettes. I'm finally getting to the age that I appreciate that.
I am an x-ray technologist and also the clinical instructor for the school of radiography for St. Vincent Hospital. Basically that means I teach people how to become an x-ray tech.
I have 3 mini dachshunds and a big fat beagle. Those are my children.
I'm a struggling guitar novice, but I love to pick around. I also play a little piano.
I love to go to concerts and festivals. I love to travel, even though I don't go very far very often.
My husband and I volunteer for a no-kill animal rescue in our hometown. We have been foster parents for several animals, and helped them find their new forever homes.
Living life to its fullest is my daily goal.